Tag Archives: Food

So I’ve only been back to classes for one week and I already feel like I’m in the thick of study! This semester is my final one for my Bachelor’s course…it’s a bit of a doozy so I’ve tried to pick my classes well. Only one face-to-face is a plus as I get to manage my own Continue reading →

Yes, yes you’re probably wondering whether I even love ramen. But the truth is there’s not much good ramen around Parramatta (that I know of…if you got the scoop lemme know), and I don’t make it into the city as much as I would like.

So when the opportunity does show itself, the best place I can think of to eat a steamy bowl of ramen is Gumshara in the Eating World food court in Chinatown.
I won’t dive into to much detail — there are some great posts around.

Gumshara’s menu is pretty straightforward — pick your broth, pick some toppings if you want. Grab your number, then some chopsticks and a spoon from the communal food-court cutlery buckets and wait. Anxiously. For like 3-5 minutes. After your order comes up you can add some condiments, which are complimentary and sitting on the end of the bench. Some toasted sesame seeds and pickled ginger go nicely.

Miso Ramen

The tonkotsu broth (which you can read about in other posts if you like) is thick with collagen — a product of boiling pork bones and marrow down for hours. Yes, I said hours. It’s slurpy, salty and great for winter. The noodles have a bit of bite to them (perfect) and will fatten in the hot broth if you eat it improperly (meaning if you don’t devour it in less than 10 minutes).

Tonkotsu Ramen w/ extra boiled eggs

The famous bowl I haven’t tried yet (stupid me) is the special pork spare rib ramen — they apparently make only 10 bowls a day but.

In addition — Gumshara is a cheap eat — around $10-12 a bowl (give or take for extras). If Eating World is busy the place gets swarmed with international Uni students & Japanese hipsters.

Well, Team Billy made it far, and we’re all so proud of just how far he made it. So in honour of the “Dessert Queen” (LOL) I’ve decided this is a good time to post this recipe, which is a tweak of his posted recipe, and the version out of reigning Masterchef Adam Liaw’s book, Two Asian Kitchens (which I highly recommend you pick up if you love Japanese/Chinese/Malaysian foods).

I first made this recipe back some time last year, and as I said, I’ve tweaked it a little to suit my tastes. You can do the same! Be creative and flexible, cook what you like! I seriously love this recipe and cook it at least a couple times per month. Billy said it’s complicated, but I find it to be a very fast, inexpensive (I have most of the ingredients stocked in the pantry) 30 minute week-night meal.

Method:-Coat the chicken in the marinade and pop in the fridge, covered, for at least 1 hour (if in a time crunch, forgo this time — just pop it in as long as you can.)
-Now is a good time to prepare your “mise en place” (everything in it’s place) — this means get all your ingredients chopped or prepared and set in bowls or cups ready to add. This is crucial when stir-frying as you must move very quickly. The whole ‘cooking’ process will only take a matter of minutes.
-Make a little chilli oil to fry the lot in by heating a few tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok until almost smoking. Add the chillis and peppercorns and stir-fry until the oil is fragrant — don’t allow the chillis to burn! Remove the chillis into a bowl and set aside.
-Toss sliced garlic into the oil and stir-fry briefly.
-Toss your chicken through the flour to coat it all, then add to the hot oil and garlic. Stir fry until crispy, using tongs or chopsticks to separate the pieces and keep them from sticking.
-When it is golden, add your sauce. It will sizzle and de-glaze (getting all the sticky yummy bits off the wok.)
-Now add the onions, green onions & chillis and stir-fry around a little.
-Pour in a little of the cornstarch mixture just until the sauce thickens into a nice glaze. Add it reasonably! You don’t want the sauce to be gloppy.
-Add your toasted roasted cashews and toss through evenly.
-Remove from heat and serve with steamed rice.

BIG NOTE: be sure not to overcook a stir-fry! Your veggies should have crunch to them still, and the dish should taste overall fresh. The whole cooking process in the wok should take around 10 minutes (hence why you gotta be organized!)